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Lockheed in $1 bln F-16 sale to Egypt

April 14, 1999 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The Pentagon has formally notified the U.S. Congress that Egypt intends to purchase 24 more F-16 warplanes from Lockheed Martin Corp. for about $1 billion. After a 30-day review period, Lockheed said, a letter of offer and acceptance would be signed in May. Production deliveries would begin in 2001 and continue for about 15 months, Lockheed said. The planes, which would increase the Egyptian Air Force's current fleet of196 F-16s, are part of a larger $3. 2 billion order from Cairo for U.S. military hardware that was announced last month by Defense Secretary William Cohen. The order for 12 single-seat F-16Cs and 12 two-seat F-16Ds is the sixth Egyptian order of F-16 planes. Deliveries of the fifth order are scheduled to begin in June, but are currently running ahead of schedule.